~o~o~o~o~o~o~
Summer smelt like asphalt.
A cloaked figure stood stalling in a nearby parking garage. His hands clung tightly to the handle of another briefcase as he watched Danville civilians going about their daily lives. Once he was sure there was no one suspicious around, he ducked behind a back door.
Three clocks. Five chairs. Five scientists.
"You have development, I presume?"
He slid the briefcase in front of the short woman, saying nothing, simply starring from behind his mask. Again, the scientists looked pleased. Good.
His payment was presented.
"I am assuming our target will be none the wiser?" The woman asked sharply as he picked up the briefcase.
He gave a simple nod, but it was enough. No one said a word as he left the way he came, his shoes making squeaking noises as he walked out, and disappeared into Danville's busy crowds.
~o~o~o~o~o~o~
Perry watched the Vanessa's GPS for a few more days, but it looked as if the girl was keeping her promise. He wondered if he should have offered to take the girl to the police; maybe they could of had those men arrested for what they tried to do to her. But she had already looked so scared.
Besides, wasn't that something she should do with her actual parents?
The man decided not to let himself simmer on the what-ifs, and instead tried to stay focused on the mission before him.
Perry had reached out to Dr. Gevaarlijk and accepted her offer for an interview. Carl had set him up with new gear so they could listen and record the entire procession.
He spent the next couple of days preparing a tweaked version of Carl's holographic watch, hoping to make the disguise even more realistic, since he was sure the Professor would be scrutinizing him with every trick she had up her sleeve.
Finally satisfied, Perry picked out a new outfit to match his unpleasant teenage appearance, and presented the final product to Major Monogram and Carl.
"Excellent job, Agent P. There's no way now they'll be suspicious."
In the meantime, before he had to worry about such an awful interview, Perry decided to spend a couple days in his apartment. His arm was still a tad sore and he was craving some alone time to recharge his ever shrinking tolerance level.
The man quickly changed into comfier clothes, made himself a glass of hot tea, and settled into the couch to watch a little television. Perfect, his favorite soap-opera was on. Although busy Danville bustled through the thin walls of the apartment without stop, the man enjoyed a little time just to relax and drink his tea.
Once he had calmed a bit, Perry opened his closet and searched for his iPod to put on some music before bed. As he dug through his things, his hand brushed over something smooth. Curious, the man pulled out the heavy object from beneath a heap of coat hangars.
Inside an Evil Mind: The Dr. Wexler Story.
The book was worn, and carried many notes and scribbles along the margins. Perry flipped through the pages, almost from muscle memory, and opened up to a quote he'd circled and underlined many times.
"My advice to those who deal with the direct denial of everyone around you, to those who feel the hatred, mockery, and fear from the crowd, and yes, even from friends and family. Revel in it. Revel in the hate. For evil begins with the pain and suffering of a broken heart."
That paragraph had meant a lot to him, back in the day.
Suddenly feeling very uncomfortable thinking about his past, the man returned the book to its spot and pushed some of the boxes back. It was ridiculous that he would keep such a controversial object in his apartment, but he just couldn't seem to part with it.
His serene mood now completely obliterated, Perry grabbed his iPod and made his way to bed.
When he opened the door, he stopped. His instincts began to ring warning bells. Something was off.
He surveyed the room for a second, eyes peering menacingly at each object. The nightstand was definitely moved. No, wait, his whole bed had been moved, and been attempted to put back.
Paranoid, the agent began inspecting all around the bed, above and below. He pulled out all the sheets, felt every single corner, and covered every inch of his nightstand. He wasn't sure what he had thought was there, but chills were firing up and down his spine.
Infuriated, the man tore through every corner of his bedroom, until he found what he had dreaded.
A camera.
Perry bit down a spike of anger that rose in his chest and carefully pulled the camera from its place in the wall. There were no cables. So wireless, then. Sighing, he grabbed a screwdriver and unhinged the back of the device, carefully observing its wiring.
There was no SD card to remove, but he did find a USB port. The platypus plugged in his computer and downloaded as much of the data as he could. Then, he cautiously stuck a tracker in the camera, hoping the perpetrator would be stupid enough to try and access the device, and accidentally give away their location.
Upon inspecting every inch of his apartment, it became clear that there had only been the one camera. The platypus ran his hands through his hair, frustrated. He grabbed his phone.
"Hello?" Lyla responded groggily. "Agent P, do you have any idea what time it is?"
"I just found a camera that were placed in my apartment earlier today."
"What?" The girl jumped. "A camera?"
"Yes. I installed some of its data, and put in a tracker to see if I can find the one responsible. But all of the data is encrypted."
"Are you sending them to O.W.C.A.?" Lyla asked.
Perry pursed his lips. "You know I can't do that. They can't find out my secret, not yet. I was wondering if you would help me. They look like wireless IP security cameras. Can you encrypt the data?"
"It'd be a long shot, but I'll see what I can do." The girl yawned. "I'm leaving for Florida tomorrow, so I'll swing your way."
"Thank you."
Unfortunately, Perry didn't think he could sleep with the camera lurking in the corner, and ended up sneaking back in Phineas and Ferb's room.
~o~o~o~o~o~o~
Today was the day. The day of the interview.
According to Carl, Dr. Gevaarlijk had an "office" on the outskirts of Danville, near an older side of town. That, or she was renting it from a colleague. Nevertheless, Perry found her "office" to appear more like a self-righteous evil lair.
The architecture appeared as if it had been designed in the 19th century, with huge pillars and creepy statues lined up the walkway. A giant bell tower highlighted the pointed roof, which looked much like a witch's hat to the platypus.
Perry grabbed the door handle and yanked it open, cringing at the loud creaking sound it made. The inside was furnished with red and black and marble, adding a dramatic flair to the room.
Perry approached the front desk, black hair falling in his face, fidgeting with his fingers.
The receptionist looked up at him with a glare. "Your name is?" She snapped.
Bitch.
Perry handed her a card with his name, "Timothy Gerland" and address on it.
The woman lowered her pointed nose into a stack of papers, taking her sweet time flipping through them. "Ah.. Second hallway on the right. Room number 106."
Perry raised an eyebrow, but continued on his way. He felt like he was walking into a school exam.
The hallways carried the same "Disney villain" kind of vibe, with strange paintings of dead people hanging on the walls, surrounded by red curtains. The old building smell made the agent sick to his stomach.
Was it normal for evil scientists to have office jobs?
The agent stopped in front of Room 106 and put his hand on the door handle. The cold metal sent a shiver down his spine. Perry took a deep breath, set his mind into focus, and opened the door.
Dr. Gevaarlijk was seated at a huge desk, surrounded by stacks of paper neatly spread across her right side. To her left, she had rows of pens perfectly parallel to one another.
"Come in." She spoke abruptly, without looking up from her work.
Perry noticed the lack memorabilia, or pictures of loved ones in her office; not even so much as a house plant. He tiptoed hesitantly to the desk, sat, and waited for her to speak.
Several minutes later, the woman looked up from her work, set it aside, and flashed him with that all-too-familiar piercing gaze. Perry stared back with just as determined a demeanor, unwilling to let himself be fazed by this scientist. Or whatever she was.
After a few seconds, Dr. Gevaarlijk smirked and placed a piece of paper in front of him. "Here's some important information about my school. Have you ever been to Drusselstein?"
Unfortunately.
Perry shook his head.
"Only some of the most elite have attended and graduated our evil science program. You'd learn a great deal."
Perry opened the packet and took a skim of its contents. They seemed to be ordinary college papers, descriptive, and focused on price and experience. Nothing of particular interest popped out at Perry. He looked up from the packet, and did his best not to jump as he caught her stare again. Did the woman ever blink?
"Tell me, my dear. What motivates you?"
Perry swallowed. Was this a test? He decided to continue to let her lay down her play. He shrugged his shoulders.
"I think there's more to than you're letting on. I see the thirst, Mr. Gerland. The want for revenge. It bleeds off you like a bad smell."
Perry, who had been twirling his hands in his lap, felt them began to sweat. She was bating him to read between the lines of her very vague accusations, but he wasn't sure what he was interpreting.
Stay focused, agent!
The woman smirked again and folded her hands across the desk. She seemed to be heavily debating how to continue.
"I'll let you in on a secret." She finally answered, taking another document from one of the stacks and handing it him. "We are looking for someone special. Someone to help us take down our most powerful enemies once and for all."
Perry let his mouth hang open just a bit. What did that mean?
"Consider my school, Mr. Gerland, and perhaps you will find more purpose in this world than you think.."
~o~o~o~o~o~o~
Perry wasn't exactly sure what had happened during that "interview." It seemed to be more of a physiological test than anything else. The agent felt as if he'd just walked into danger without really knowing what he was up against. He didn't like those kinds of battles.
The last document Dr. Gevaarlijk had left him simply listed another time and date, with no context of any kind. So what now? Did the agency want him to seriously consider this undercover operation?
Major Monogram listened to his report with a pensive expression, and left the silence hang in thought as Perry finished.
"This is quite an interesting report, Agent P." The man finally sighed. "I'm not sure if we should believe these are intended lies, or true evidence. But we must not take any chances. If Dr. Gevaarlijk and her team are truly trying to find some sort of 'super soldier,' we will need to initiate more investigations."
Perry opened his beak to protest, but the major held up his hand. "Don't worry, Agent P, I'm not sending you to Drusselstein. You've done great work here. I will have other agents take it on from here."
Perry nodded in relief. The last thing he wanted to do was uproot his life yet again.